Engine preheat - that travels with you

[A2022]

I received a couple emails for my sump heater. I use FAA approved Reiff Hotstrip that has two 100W heaters with a thermostat and that has been enough heat for the past 12 years. Parked on the ramp in Wichita this winter, I had the line man plug me in the night before, with no cowl inlet covers or blankets, oil door closed, electrical cord routed to the cowl exit, the engine started like summertime. Sure beats $100 overnight hangar fee. To install, scuff the surfaces, apply supplied adhesive, tape the heater in position then use wax paper and a piece of foam to apply constant even pressure and tape foam in place for adhesive cure.

That's the original carb heat cable, lever and airbox. 1300+ hours with no detectable wear.

Oil quick drain has been removed because of Martin's death.
viewtopic.php?f=47&t=6262

Reiff Hotstrip Oil Sump Heater
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/ ... eaters.php









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A dipstick heater will heat the oil and the air in the oil pan. Also dipstick heaters were outlawed in Canada due to engine fires. But they are still sold in USA. Dipstick heaters are usually 20 inches to 24 inches long and before you drive the car you have to pull the heater out and replace the dipstick.

[bullojm1]

I installed the Reiff sump heaters back in 2010. I have them connected to an outdoor wifi controllable outlet (Meross MSS620, $25 https://a.co/d/7gNhpeZ). Works great - from home I can use the Meross app and turn on for free my sump heater. Even a second outlet I sometimes connect to a trickle charger.



I've played with a couple of ideas of how to pre-heat on the ramp, but all of them were just too hot of air for me to feel comfortable enough to plumb into the cowl - I was afraid I would melt the engine!

These type of diesel heaters are appealing to me - low power consumption - I am sure I could use the RV's battery or a DeWalt battery from my power tools. The heat output mentioned in the video below looks reasonable - the guy puts his hand on the output. Diesel is not a bad choice for a safe fuel to potentially share the cockpit with you. Price is about $120 on Amazon for this random model I found - https://a.co/d/3hYyWX5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quks6kyhlu4

[A2022]

I made a heater from a camp stove. I've used it a couple times in a pinch. Once on a fishing trip to Michigan and another time that I can't remember where I was. I later printed a base with a wide flange for the propane tank and duct capture to better stabilize. it is relatively light and compact as the ducting compresses and the stove and tank fits inside. you don't want to have any fuel leaking around because there is a fire underneath the aircraft. it is only able to take the edge off the cold, but I don't believe I would have been able to start the engine without it as I have no primer system. on that day, the Money beside me had ice in his tanks and was stuck there. hey, ice is not nice!










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this is my standard hangar air pre-heat for the past 10 years.

[bullojm1]

I saw this on Facebook, looks promising!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dDTPSbogpUU

[A2022]

seems to be very useful. I suppose you could pack it in the plane, 20 lb dry and some volume. I wonder if they make a smaller version, like half of this.

[bullojm1]

seems to be very useful. I suppose you could pack it in the plane, 20 lb dry and some volume. I wonder if they make a smaller version, like half of this.

Looks like this may be the ticket! 10 Lbs

https://m.vevor.com/diesel-heater-c_103 ... nAQAvD_BwE

[A2022]

seems to be very useful. I suppose you could pack it in the plane, 20 lb dry and some volume. I wonder if they make a smaller version, like half of this.

Looks like this may be the ticket! 10 Lbs

https://m.vevor.com/diesel-heater-c_103 ... nAQAvD_BwE

relatively small and light weight. perfect for an RV airplane. it may also work with AVgas. that way you could just drop the pump tube in the aircraft gas tank and plug it into the aircraft cigarette lighter for power. since it will be outside next to the plane, no need for an exhaust muffler.

[bullojm1]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/VEVOR-5-KW- ... /332443024


Hmmm, $80 from Home Depot - great price and option to return it easily if it doesn't work as expected. I may have to pull the trigger on this to give it a try. I don't think 100LL would work with this, I've only seen references to diesel/kerosene/Jet-A. Maybe I can bribe the line guys at the local airport to take care of their dumped JetA from the big jets?! . For how efficient this device is, I don't think much JetA would be needed in the cockpit. Alternatively, it would work in a bind when my wifi sump heater decides to turn off in the middle of the night and I get to the airport with a cold engine.

[A2022]

the outboard jet engines on the B36 peacemaker ran fine on AVgas. these jet engines were relatively low pressure and temp in the combustion chamber compared to modern jet engine. they were limited duration usage. a simple diesel heater is low pressure and temperature. AVgas would probably be a better fuel to use since you have it right there in the aircraft tanks. in this way, you are not carrying any fuel in the cabin.

[A2022]

what about this one, so that you don't need to have a goofy remote. just turn the rotating switch. amazing price. I don't understand how they can sell them for that. the rotating switch may have a thermocouple in it, so placement may affect control if it is outside, but it still should work.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/VEVOR-17060 ... -n/a-_-n/a

[A2022]

seems to be very useful. I suppose you could pack it in the plane, 20 lb dry and some volume. I wonder if they make a smaller version, like half of this.

Looks like this may be the ticket! 10 Lbs

https://m.vevor.com/diesel-heater-c_103 ... nAQAvD_BwE

I bought the one you saw on Home Depot website. 10 lbs. I am going to try it on AVgas, like a B-36. 6 turning and 4 burning!

[A2022]

well, apparently the 5KW is sold out. so, I purchased the 2KW version. a smaller heater operating at maximum may work better for AVgas. the spec weight is 11# but has a smaller overall dimension (4.5 x 5.5 x 13.5 inch) than the 5KW. I am looking at a printed duct to adapt the diesel heater to my current 6-inch ducting that works with my cowl adapter that is very secure. I plan to use AVgas from the aircraft for fuel and electrical power from the panel cigarette lighter. the duct adapter (6.5-inch overall length) will be printed using nylon/carbon fiber.

one thing I discovered using my previous propane camping stove preheater version is that there can be a wind and that should not be an issue with this setup as the diesel heater is 11 lb. as I understand at this time, these preheaters can operate side mounted. I plan to lay it on the ground.

for a 30 minute preheat, I should not use more than 2 amp-hr from the aircraft battery. my battery specification is 24 amp-hr. a warmer battery results in increased cranking amps. warming the battery could result in increased electrical power for starting vs a cold battery.

my goal for this preheater is to be able to remove it from the aircraft and be setup for start within three minutes at a relaxed pace. preheat time estimated to be 30 minutes.

[A2022]

2634 grams = 5.8 lbs, it's light weight and I like that. an engine preheater when you are on the go.

plan for a 3-minute setup: drop it on the ground on its side, drop a fuel bung in the aircraft gas tank, plug it into the aircraft cigarette lighter, connect the duct and press start.

Nora En Pure - Fever (Original Club Mix)
https://youtu.be/1pL6OIUG8ic?si=c3ta2cjcVaQYjmbh

Nora En Pure - Better Off That Way (Radio Mix)
https://youtu.be/uhpnA8ZY0kU?si=-Jf9Nsxeyu1ZQIru

[A2022]

this unit runs fine on Avgas. one thing I still need to understand about the controller is the manual feed for priming. the controller does not match the documentation. overall, I am very happy with it and will configure it for compact portable operation for the aircraft and do a functional check with ship fuel and power. at 5.8 lbs, it is hard to beat. I'll probably use a connection that is direct to the battery with an inline fuse rather than the cigarette lighter.

video of the unit operating with sound
https://photos.app.goo.gl/TxbsEt9tV7SYfUG79

[A2022]

configured to be compact and portable. I am really happy with this. good heat, efficient, 800 cc per hour or so. max current draw at start = 10 amps (glow plug), running = 2 amps, total Wh for 30 minutes = 18Wh on 12V, so that's 1.5 Amp-h, not much! my Concorde battery = 24 Amp-h capacity. now we have easy preheat on the go at remote sites using aircraft fuel and electrical power in a compact unit. unit weight = 6 lb. on track for a 3-minute setup time (or less) for preheat!

I opened the cowl to measure how much wire I will need to connect directly to the battery = 5 ft. I will use a 15 Amp fuse. The 3D printed spark plug wire baffle seals look good and are tight. I will use the same material to print a duct adapter for the preheater.

Nora En Pure - Fever (Original Club Mix)
https://youtu.be/1pL6OIUG8ic?si=uvVfuczX-Vt8v6ow
































....... ah, these were the good ole days. new airplane and cold weather testing, -20C. you will learn things in cold weather testing.

[A2022]

well, I took 2.5 inches off this duct adapter. it's beefy because I'll probably be banging it around. I hope it works. I plan to use a simple bungee to hold it in place because when it's cold you don't want to mess with small clamps.

and yes, I thought about a flat plate to connect the cylinders, but when you have a flat plate with a temperature gradient, it will fail. better to use a cone shape.

the previous duct adapter considered...




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the current duct adapter that is being printed.... nylon/carbon fiber because it will get hot.

[A2022]

well, that was too easy. perfect clearances and fit everywhere for the duct adapter. it's probably too robust but hey, I only want to do this one time. the duct adapter max temp = 300F. the bungee idea to quickly connect the duct adapter to heater is going to work even better than I thought. it will make for a quick setup. this entire project is almost done and has been quick and fun. remaining is to run a wire from the aircraft battery to the oil door for quick connect. relatively light weight and compact on-the-go preheat anywhere, using aircraft Avgas from the tank and electrical power from the aircraft battery. total weight for everything should be less than 10 lb, and setup, ready for preheat start in less than 3 minutes at a relaxed pace.

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note: after printing this piece, I reduced the weight by 1/3 in a revised design.

[A2022]

engine preheat from the aircraft fuel tank test 1.

the paint chips around the fuel cap are from the line boys digging the cap out with their pocketknife's. I've seen them do it.

da movie link... https://photos.app.goo.gl/PXKKJsijb4zpimKb6

Jerro feat. Beacon - Go Back Now
https://youtu.be/7nqV5twAalU?si=kqwpIeK_Nj3XtY1R

[A2022]

2KW diesel heat fuel line retainer.... a risk with this setup is a fire. the highest fire risk is the 1/4" silicone fuel line getting blown by the wind against the exhaust pipe. the exhaust pipe is hot enough to burn through the silicone fuel line and auto ignite the fuel. upon a line burn through, the fuel would be continuously gravity fed to enlarge the fire. a simple swing arm fuel line retainer may be beneficial. when you need preheat you may also have wind.

The Traveling Wilburys - End Of The Line (Official 4K Music Video)
https://youtu.be/UMVjToYOjbM?si=w-fm-C6kJWa8i3Vn

[A2022]

engine preheat from the aircraft fuel tank test 2, for one hour.